No Simple Thing
by NotToBeMessedWith
Summary: It's no simple thing when history repeats love's greatest tragedy in the form of two teenagers of Forks... watch as the star-crossed lovers follow Romeo and Juliet's path... AU Twilight Fic, based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. WARNING-pre BD
1. Prologue

Hello, readers. We return with another expound on Twilight fictions. You have to love how whenever you reread the book, a new plot bubble pops into your head.

And so we travel both backwards and forwards in time to witness a great love story repeated in the small town of Forks.

It's no simple thing when history decides to repeat itself, especially when it comes in the form of the greatest romantic tragedy of all time…

Welcome to No Simple Thing, the Romeo and Juliet of Forks set 30 years after Eclipse.

Our characters now appear to you…

**The Wolves**

**Alex Black** – son of werewolf Jacob Black, a werewolf himself.

**Dave Uley** – the son of Sam and Emily Uley, one of Alex's best friends.

**Quentin Ateara** – the son of Quil and Claire Ateara, Alex's other best friend.

**Jacob Black** – father of Alex, bitterly opposed to the Cullen's return.

**Leah Black** – mother of Alex, married Jake to spite Sam.

**The Vampires**

**Ellie Cullen** – the newest addition to the Cullen clan, was bitten and joined 28 years ago.

**Bella Cullen** – the older sister/maternal figure to Ellie, only is able to return to Forks because of her vampire ability to cast optical illusions (casts the illusion of aging).

**Edward Cullen** – the older brother/paternal figure to Ellie, picked up his hate of Jake right where he left off, though is prepared to give the new generation a chance.

**Alice Cullen** – Ellie's best friend within in the family and her confident.

**Jasper Cullen** – a much more protective older brother figure to Ellie who dislikes the wolves more than Edward.

**Emmett Cullen** – very defensive of the Cullens against the werewolves.

**Others**

**Katie Newton** – the girl who rejected Alex and broke his heart.

**Charlie Swan** – the old police chief and general peacemaker of Forks.

**John Roberts** – the man who replaced Charlie Swan after the latter retired.

And with the cast in place and the stage all set, the play can begin. We shall watch as history repeats itself in the middle of the vampire-werewolf war…

Best of luck to our unfortunate crew. We will be waiting in the wings to tell the tragic tale…


	2. Act I Scene I

**Act One, Scene One…**

Enter DAVE ULEY and QUENTIN ATEARA, two younger werewolf boys…

Dave and Quentin rode down the roads of Forks on their motorcycles, built by Mr. Black after an old one he had given Alex. They whooped as they shot down the street, enjoying the wind on their faces.

Suddenly, Dave hit down hard on his brakes and skidded to a squealing halt. Quentin shot past him, but wheeled around and came roaring back. "What?" he asked, pushing excess strands of floppy brown hair out of his eyes. "Why'd you stop?"

Dave didn't answer, but was staring at a side alley off to the right of them. Quentin slowly turned his head, instinct telling him what was fueling the venomous glare Dave was giving. His expression turned into a bitter smirk as he noted his instincts were right. Almost in confirmation, a sickly sweet scent crashed into his nose.

Enter JASPER CULLEN and EMMETT CULLEN, two vampires of the Cullen clan…

Emmett was coaxing Jasper down the street, saying, "Come on, Jazz, we have to buy groceries or people will ask awkward questions and all that stuff!"

Jasper exhaled sharply out his nose. "Emmett, I understand perfectly well, I just don't like being out in pub- OOF!"

Emmett had stopped dead in the middle of the street, staring with pure venom to his left. As Jasper was about to inquire about the abrupt halt, a sharp scent hit his nose, triggering a burning desire to attack…

"Oh, wonderful," he growled. "Werewolves."

The two parties walked slowly down the connecting street, glaring at one another all the while. Jasper's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he spat, "What are you doing out of your pen, dogs? Shouldn't you be on a leash?"

The aggressive Dave scowled, and made a move towards the thin blonde vampire. Quentin shot an arm out to stop him before he did something stupid though. "Passing through, no problem," he hissed tightly at the vampires. He struggled against Dave's bigger mass, trying desperately to avoid fighting. In the town, they couldn't go into wolf form. Snarling, Dave relented, but shot the middle finger at the Cullen brothers.

Emmett's eyes widened, as Jasper's tightened into deadly slits. With a ferocious snarl, Emmett lunged at Dave. Quentin backed out of the way quickly as Emmett cannoned into Dave. The other boy shot backwards into the alley wall, hitting with a vicious crack. Growling furiously, Dave peeled himself off the brick.

Quentin grabbed his arm tightly, noticing his quivering form. "STOP!" he yelled. "We can't, not here. People will see us all! We'll all be exposed!"

Jasper snorted and looked at Quentin with utter contempt. "What, is the wittle baby werewolf afwaid?" he mocked in a baby voice.

Quentin tightened his old on Dave's arm. "No, just trying to keep the whole town out of our fight!" he snapped. "Is peace so bad?"

Jasper smirked. "When it comes to you smelly mongrels… yes."

That did it. Quentin let go of Dave, who immediately flew at Emmett. Quentin launched himself at Jasper roaring an angry battle cry.

The two teenaged werewolves started to vibrate viscously. They tore at the vampires, their looks becoming increasingly feral with each swing they made. A few more seconds, and transformation into wolves would have been inevitable. But…

"What is going on here?!"

All four fighters froze. Jasper's teeth were inches from Quentin's arm, and Dave's now abnormally long nails were about to drive into Emmett's chest. At the voice, they all looked towards the end of the alley where Jasper and Emmett had come from.

Enter EDWARD and BELLA CULLEN, two married vampires…

Edward Cullen stood there, amber eyes blazing with fury. A few paces behind was Bella, her newly vampiric skin glowing faintly in the gray light of Forks. Her hands were twitching in small directions, giving away the fact that she was working to cast her aging illusions.

Emmett and Jasper detangled themselves, and moved quickly backwards towards their brother. Edward glared at Quentin and Dave, and spat, "Wolves. Of course. Always looking for a fight." He made to step forward, but an icy cold hand clamped on his arm.

"No." It was Bella, speaking softly but looking stern. "Don't you dare, Edward. Those are someone's children."

The two were still staring down when yet another voice echoed down the narrow alley. "Quentin, Dave, what the hell?" Bella broke her gaze with Edward and her gold eyes grew huge.

Enter JACOB and LEAH BLACK, two werewolves themselves…

Marching down from where the motorcycles were parked was Jacob Black. Bella hadn't seen him since she returned to Forks a year ago, but there was no mistaking him, especially the pained way he regarded Bella's vampiric state. Behind him was an equally recognizable Leah Clearwater.

Dave whipped around to look at his best friend's father. "They started it, Mr. Black!" he accused. "Quentin tried to stop it, but the blonde one goaded him into it…" Behind him, Jasper snarled softly.

Jake looked towards the pale group at the other end. He pointedly ignored Bella, instead glaring at her husband. "Cullen." He said it completely flatly.

"Black," Edward acknowledge. "What's the she-wolf doing here?" Bella dug her nails into Edward's wrist at his bluntness.

"The 'she-wolf'," Jake growled, "is my _wife_." Bella gave a little gasp that caused Edward to wrap a protective arm around her.

"Mr. Cullen? Mr. Black?" Yet another person joined the fray. He was a tall African-American, with buzz cut black hair and stormy gray eyes.

Enter JOHN ROBERTS, police chief of Forks…

"Chief Roberts," Bella said politely. The police chief looked at her and smiled. "Bella," he chuckled. "Good to see you. How is Charlie?" Bella gave him a dazzling vampire grin. "Oh, he's fine. I think if I didn't check on him he'd spend the rest of his life fishing!"

Roberts spared a chuckle. Then his face grew solemn as he surveyed Jasper, Emmett, Dave and Quentin. "You've been fighting again." It wasn't a question.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't –" Jasper began, but was cut off. "I don't want to hear it. You've all been causing chaos all over Forks with your fighting. I don't know what the problem is, and I don't care. If you don't stop, I'll arrest you all."

He looked between both parties – the Cullens and the La Push natives. He nodded curtly to Edward and Jacob, then strode down the alley and out of sight.

With an exasperated sigh, Edward ran his fingers through his bronze hair. The once-pure copper was now streaked with gray thanks to Bella's illusion, making the eternally 17-year-old look closer to 47. "All right, let's go home," he sighed. "We'll talk about this with Carlisle."

Jasper, Emmett and Edward turned away from the werewolves. Bella followed a half second behind, but whispered "Bye Jake," and gave a little wave. Jake made a move as if to reply, but Leah grasped his arm and glared. Jake looked between his wife and Bella, then simply nodded.

Bella's warm gaze frosted over, and she walked stiffly away from him. Dave watched her go, then muttered, "I should probably go home before Chief Roberts calls my dad…" He jammed his helmet over his wildly curly brown hair, got on his motorcycle, and roared away.

Jake sighed and ran a hand over the side of his face. "Okay, Quentin, what happened?"

Quentin described the whole scene, trying to be as unbiased as possible so Jake wouldn't get mad. As he finished, Leah growled under her breath. "Stupid Cullens," she hissed. "I wish they never came back."

Seemingly coming back into her senses, she asked Quentin, "Have you seen Alex? I'm glad he wasn't in the fight, but he was gone when I woke up…"

Quentin nodded quickly to reassure the temperamental Leah. "Yeah, I did. He was up before dawn at the river, throwing stones. I was up fixing my bike and saw him go," he answered.

Jake groaned. "Brooding again," he said. "He's been like this for a few days." Quentin furrowed his brow. "Really? Do you know why?" Jake shook his head. "He won't say."

Quentin looked over Jake's shoulder, and saw the boy in question walking down the sidewalk. His hand were jammed into his pockets and he kept his gaze on the concrete.

Enter ALEX BLACK, a moody and impulsive young werewolf…

"Hey, there he is," said Quentin. As Leah made to turn around, he said hurriedly, "No no, let me talk to him. He'll listen to me."

Leah paused, as if contemplating his words, and then nodded. "All right," she agreed. "Come on, Jake." And with that, she snatched her husband's arm and led him off down the street.

Quentin ran over to Alex, who only looked up when his best friend was a few paces in front of him. "Hey," he said dully. As soon as the word was out his dark eyes were glued to the pavement again.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Quentin asked. "You haven't really spoken to anyone in a few days." Alex shrugged, and scuffed his sneaker on the sidewalk.

Quentin rolled his eyes. "Alex, I'm you're best friend. I can tell that something's up. Tell me now."

Alex gritted his teeth. Sometimes having a best friend who knew you all your life was a pain. "Fine," he mumbled. "Remember Katie Newton?" Quentin nodded. "From school?" All of the teens of Forks attended Forks High since the La Push school burned down five years ago.

"Yeah, you like her, don't you?" Quentin asked. Alex clenched his fists. "Yeah, but she… I asked her out and she laughed. _Laughed!_"

Quentin rested a hand on Alex's shoulder. "I'm sorry man," he said. "But you didn't imprint on her, so…" Alex shrugged away. "It sure felt like it," he muttered. "But she would have said yes if you had!" Quentin pointed out.

Alex's head shot up. "It doesn't matter!" he yelled. "I loved her, I think. And she laughed at me when I told her! You're lucky – you imprinted on Lena as soon as you saw her, she wouldn't say no!"

Quentin stepped back at his harsh words. "All right, all right," he confessed. "I don't know anything about it. But come on – we'll go back to La Push and find you some other hot girl to love."

"Like that will happen," Alex growled mutinously. But he allowed himself to be led away by Quentin.

**And so concludes Act 1 Scene One of No Simple Thing. Please tune in soon to see what next unfolds in our tale of star-crossed lovers.**


	3. Act I Scene II

**Hello, dear readers. This is a rather short, and yet pivotal scene in both ****No Simple Thing**** and ****Romeo and Juliet****. For it is in this scene that Paris pursues the hand of Juliet, and Romeo determines to go to the Capulet's party… what does this mean for Ellie and Alex? Find out below, in Act I Scene II.**

Enter EDWARD and BELLA CULLEN, who have continued to walk when their companions returned home…

Edward walked briskly a few steps ahead of Bella, who was jogging lightly to keep pace. "Edward, calm down," she said. "It was just a small thing." Edward whipped his head around to look despairingly at her. "One small thing!" he snarled. "I had figured that Jake and his gang would give us trouble about returning, but not their kids! They're hate mongering, Bella, and I hate it."

Bella took his hand, turning him gently to face her. She said softly, "Give them another chance. I know there have been a lot of fights, and that I've said that a lot. But it's partially our fault too." As Edward opened his mouth, she pressed on, "Now don't you dare deny it. Tell Emmett and Jasper to make more of an effort, and you too. I may have chosen you over Jake, but he'll always be my friend."

She looked sadly into his eyes, which softened from anger into sympathy. Edward wrapped an arm around her and hugged her. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair. "I know it must be tough seeing them hate you so now that we're back." She nodded, and buried her face into his chest. In a muffled voice, she said, "At least Ellie isn't involved in this."

Edward let his thoughts drift to the newer member of the Cullen clan. They had found the sandy blonde 16-year-old in a ditch off the side of a highway – a victim of a hit and run driver. Carlisle had taken one look and informed them that she would die within a minute unless he bit her. All had voted unanimously as the girl's life slipped away.

Carlisle bit her, and brought her to their newest home to undergo the change. Bella had been shut out of that wing of the house – it had only been two years after her own change. When the girl woke up and had gotten over her initial shock, she told them that she was Ellie Blake. She and Bella bonded quickly, as both struggled with the desire for human blood for eighteen and twenty more years, respectively.

Through her, Ellie had also grown closer to Edward, and the two older vampires became Ellie's caretakers as she adjusted to their way of life. When they returned to Forks this past year, Ellie arrived as Edward and Bella's 'daughter'. As he thought about her, Edward couldn't help but agree with Bella – if God still watched over vampires, he was grateful that Ellie was spared from the fights.

The two stood together on the sidewalk for a long time, the only movement coming from Bella's twitching hands to keep up their illusion.

Suddenly, a voice broke through their bubble of silence. "Cullen – there you are."

On the sidewalk was a vampire in a black cloak. Unlike the Cullens, his eyes were bloodred, and he carried an air of malevolence. He looked around 15 or 16, and was vaguely familiar to Bella.

Enter ALEC VOLTURI, a vampire after a certain young vampire female…

Edward's eyes widened, and he stiffened his hold on Bella. "Alec?" he said incredulously, and Bella remembered him – he was Jane's older brother, and a Volturi.

Alec nodded curtly. "I bear a message from Aro," he informed them. "Is it true that there is a new member of your group?" Bella felt fear creep into her heart. They had hoped the Volturi would not find out about Ellie – no such luck, it seemed.

Edward paused, as if considering the weight of truth versus a lie, but ultimately said, "Yes. Ellie." Alec smiled grimly. "Very well then," he said. "Then I must do what Aro has requested – take the girl as my mate."

Bella's jaw dropped, and the air around them all seemed to drop several degrees. "Mate?" Edward said incredulously. "Why would we ever give her to you? She's one of us!" Bella nodded forcefully – she loved Ellie dearly, and no one would take her away without a fight!

Alec's smile dimmed a few notches, but stayed firmly on his bone-white face. "You would give her to me, because the Volturi thinks you are all too powerful. There are too many Cullens now. And if you do not give her to us, we will destroy you all," he said icily.

Bella looked at Edward desperately. Utter defeat seemed to have rooted itself on her husband's face. They couldn't possibly face down the Volturi – there were far too many, even for the well trained fighters in their family. Edward glanced at Bella, his eyes conveying an all too clear message – _what do we do now?_

Bella looked at the stony faced vampire in front of them. Gently, she asked, "Could we have time to get Ellie used to the idea? Please?" Alec smirked at the 'please', but seemed to consider her words. "Very well," he agreed. "It would be inconvenient to have to subdue her without causing harm or a public scene. Perhaps your suggestion is for the best."

Bella smiled gratefully, and replied, "Thank you. Ellie will probably take it better that-" She broke off, and a hand flew to her mouth. She turned to Edward, and gasped, "Those invitations! Ellie's having her 16th birthday party tonight, I forgot to deliver them!"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Then go, drop them at the houses though – it's too late for the postman." Bella nodded, kissed his cheek, and ran off, leaving Edward to negotiate with Alec.

As soon as she was out of sight of the main road in the trees, Bella took off at a vampire run. She only paused when she shoved Ellie's invitations under the doors of the houses. She watched the sky warily as the light behind the curtain of gray began to fade – if she was gone too long, Edward would go into 'super-overprotective-of-Bella' mode.

With only four left in her hands, she slipped the fourth under the door. Looking at the last three, she noticed a small sticky not stuck to each one. With a wry smile, she pulled them off and read –

_Bella,_

_Knowing you some of the invitations may have come into some damage. These are extras. If you still have them, give them to whoever you want. By the way, Jasper is mad at you – he says _they_ didn't have 16__th__ birthday parties when they were in Forks, and is mad that you and Eddie are letting me. I told him to shut up, and that we wanted to make a better impression on people this time around._

_Thanks for delivering these._

_Ellie_

Bella snorted as she read the notes. It figured that Jasper wouldn't be happy about so many people coming to their house, but he was better around humans than he used to be.

She looked down at the three neatly printed invitations in her hand. Bella tilted her head back to look at the sky, wondering what to do with these three extras. As she considered, her thoughts unconsciously drifted to a scene with two teenaged boys fighting snow-pale men in an alley.

She blinked, and grinned slyly. It would annoy Edward, certainly, but it would also possibly give some peace between this newer generation of werewolves and the Cullens.

She glanced at the sky again, judging how much time had passed and if they would be back in La Push yet. Praying that they weren't, she ran full-tilt towards the alley the fight had occurred in.

Bella sighed in relief as she saw a motorcycle still there. Looking beyond it, she saw two boys sitting on a rock wall. The brown haired one she recognized – he was the one Jasper had been fighting. The other was unfamiliar to her, but he reminded her of someone. He had slightly overgrown black hair and dark eyes that gave an unintelligible expression to his friend.

Enter QUENTIN ATEARA and ALEX BLACK, who are about to be surprised…

Slowing to a human jogging pace, she ran up to them. Quentin stiffened as he saw her – apparently she had been recognized. "What do you want?" he spat angrily. Bella blinked – she hadn't expected this hostility.

The other boy looked up. He furrowed his brow, and said quietly, "You're a Cullen. Why are you talking to us?" Bella smiled kindly at him. "I'm Bella. I wanted to give you-" "Bella?" the boy cut in sharply. He looked at her through narrowed eyes. "If you're Bella, you broke my dad's heart. I'm Alex _Black_."

Bella took a step back, stunned. Jake had a son? She shook her head slightly, brown hair falling across her eyes. "That was a long time ago," she insisted. "I'm trying to make peace with you, aren't I?" Quentin shrugged. "Still doesn't answer what you want," he pointed out.

She sighed – human, vampire or werewolf, teenage boys were all the same. "I wanted to give you these," she said, handing Alex one and Quentin two invitations. "They're invitations to a party for my… daughter, Ellie, at our house. Most of your classmates will be there." To Quentin, she added, "Give the other to your friend who was in the fight."

Alex looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you giving these to us?" he asked. Bella rolled her eyes. "I have no fight with you. I think you should have a chance." Alex nodded once, and muttered, "Thanks, I guess."

Bella beamed at them, and then left as quickly as she had come.

Quentin stared at the space she had been, then turned to Alex. "Are we going to go?" he asked uncertainly. "Eh, why not?" Alex said, and gave the invitation a small grin.

**So we finish Act I Scene II. It may seem filler-y (which it is), but the decision to attend the party is practically the catalyst for all ensuing events. You have been warned; this is where it gets interesting.**

**Wait and see what unfolds…**


	4. Act I Scene III

-claps- I'm so proud of you guys who are reading and reviewing

**-claps- I'm so proud of you guys who are reading and reviewing! I love getting reviewers – it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (P.S.- no one is allowed to complain of chapter length – Shakespeare did not design his acts to be overly long!)**

**So anyway, this is my long term project piece, for when I have spare minutes cobbled together in my (limited) time before the next sport begins and afterwards. If you don't see updates for a long time, don't get discouraged (I feel like forewarning).**

**And I'm proud of ME, too, for coming up with a plausible reason for them to be able to live in Forks again. I was dying over that, because I needed a sound REASON! And it makes sense, too – Bella's always felt like one of the crowd, and now she can make herself and the others seem like one of the crowd, too. –does weird little dance-**

**Sorry this took so long. I am way past busy and more like run into the dirt with sports, service and school – the three S's of DEATH!**

**And so we enter Act I Scene III, in which Lady Capulet reveals the impending marriage plans for her daughter. Oh my – Ellie's not going to like this one bit! I am envisioning her temper tantrum in my head.**

**Let the curtain rise, and the play resume…**

Enter BELLA CULLEN, who is worried and scared over what happens next, and ALICE CULLEN, who is Ellie's little confidant…

Bella paced the floor of Ellie's room, keeping her eyes on the pale blue carpet. Alice, on the other hand, was not affected by nerves at all, choosing to lie sprawled out and content on the bedspread.

"Alice, where is she!?" Bella asked, agitated. Her fingers worked constantly – Carlisle was at the hospital and so needed to keep up appearance.

Alice raised herself onto her elbows and glared at her. "I told you 5 minutes. It's only been four minutes and 34- no, 35 seconds. Be patient." With that, she flopped back down, humming absentmindedly.

Bella sighed, then stiffened as a door opened downstairs.

Enter ELLIE CULLEN, who probably won't like where this conversation heads…

"Bella?" Ellie's voice called. "Bella, I finished setting stuff up!"

Attempting to keep her voice level, Bella replied, "Can you come up to your room a minute? Alice and I need to talk to you."

In a blink, she was there. She was a little shorter than Bella but not quite as tiny as Alice. Though she was a blonde, like Rosalie, her vampiric beauty wasn't so dramatic. Ellie looked exactly the part of the all-American girl.

Her brilliantly gold eyes gave away that she had been hunting as she asked, "What's up?" and joined Alice on the bed.

Bella glanced at the black-haired vampire. "Alice, will you leave…? Or no, stay. I want you here. You know Ellie as well as I do."

Alice snorted. "I hope so. I spend much more time here because I don't have to play the part of housewife." Ellie laughed. "Yeah, well, you spend a lot of time with Jasper too," she said with a slightly sad edge to her voice.

Alice shot a rapid glance to Bella, then patted Ellie's hand. "You're young yet. You won't wait forever," she told her kindly.

Bella coughed softly, reclaiming attention. "Actually, El, that's kind of why we're here…" Under the girl's curious glare, she took a breath and asked:

"What would you think of taking a mate now?"

Clearly this was not the expected question, as Ellie looked caught off guard. "A mate?" she asked incredulously. "No, not now. I'm in school. It would draw scandal. I'd be the third generation of Swan women to do so. I'll pass for now."

She looked between her surrogate mother and confidant. "Why?"

Bella glanced at Alice. The latter sighed, and said, "Because the Volturi thinks the Cullens number too many, and sent Alec to take you as his mate."

"WHAT!?" Ellie sprung to her feet, eyes wild. "No! This is my home, my family! He so can't do this!"

"He can," Bella said sadly. "He has the Volturi on his side. We don't have any other choice for now."

"What about Edward?" Ellie gasped out. "He thinks if we buy enough time, we might be able to get out of it. But that's a big 'if', El."

A dry sob racked Ellie's body as Alice added quietly, "It would help to get yourself used to the idea of going with him."

As the younger girl shook, Alice tried, "He's handsome, anyway."

Bella caught on, and added, "Just about your age forever, too. You won't have to go with a twenty two year old. That's good, anyway."

Ellie wailed into a pillow.

It was then that Esme's head appeared in the doorway, looking like a kindly grandmother thanks to Bella's illusions. "Soory to interrupt," she whispered, "but the guests are expecting the birthday girl." She smiled. "No one told me it was a costume party."

Alice nodded, and followed Esme out. Bella put a hand on Ellie's back. "Go with your friends. Be happy. We'll try to fix this, I promise." With that, she swiftly left the room.

Ellie raised her head from the pillow. Rolling over, she looked at the costume on the back of her door. Life may not be the best right now – ok, it was really bad – but at least for a few hours she could lose herself to the human Ellie behind the dark blue mask.

**Wow. That went badly. Whoops, Bella, looks like this will be a challenge…**

**And brace yourselves, readers. The next chapter is the first time our star-crossed lovers come face to face…**

**XO to my fans.**

**--E--**


	5. Act I Scene IV

I can't stay away from Romeo and Juliet

**I can't stay away from Romeo and Juliet. And to think I thought it wouldn't be good when we started it in English! Not to mention my mind has cultivated its own Romeo, with his own beautiful Juliet…**

**So this is it. Act I is closing in on us. This is a very filler-ish scene. But Alex is beginning to sense that when he meets the girl, all won't ride smoothly…**

**Just wait until you see what happens next. Cue curtain.**

Enter ALEX BLACK, DAVE ULEY, and QUENTIN ATEARA, on their way to their enemies' home for a party…

"I can't believe we're doing this," muttered Dave. He pulled irritably on his army uniform and tucked the helmet under his arm.

Quentin rolled his eyes. "Do you have any sort of fun in you, at all?" he demanded. "It's fine. There'll be hot girls there. We have invitations. We get to scope out the Cullen headquarters." He glanced at Alex. "We got to get this one a babe hotter than Katie."

Dave also looked at Alex. He was dressed in army fatigues, like the others, but his forlorn face ruined the effect. It was obvious he was daydreaming of the girl who broke his heart.

Alex looked up and met Dave's dark gaze. "You can have them," he said with a voice devoid of emotion. "I can't dance. I feel like my whole body is made of lead."

Dave snorted, and shoved him in the arm. "C'mon, Alex. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I thought my dad wouldn't let me in a hundred yards of the Cullens, and Jake hates them more than he does. Leah, too. Enjoy it while you can, man!"

Alex rolled lethargically with the shove. Quentin moved to his other side, and pushed him back to Dave, who quickly volleyed Alex back. They kept it up, faster and faster, until the faintest of smiles appeared on his face. "Finally!" Quentin gasped. "He smiles!"

Alex barked a laugh, and looked off towards the glowing house at the end of the incredibly long driveway. "So what do you think it'll be like?" he asked vaguely.

Dave smirked. "If it's anything like your dad said Bella's graduation party was like, it'll be bangin'," he said eagerly. "Every girl in the general Forks area is coming – that Ellie girl likes to make friends."

"Friends," Quentin snorted. "Whatever. We'll make you kiss every girl there until you imprint, then bang! Problem solved."

Alex smiled at Quentin's brashness. "Nice try, but I'm going to try and win Katie over."

Dave groaned. "Man, that girl is not worth your time. She flirts with everything on two legs, including old Chief Swan."

Quentin laughed, but Alex stayed quiet. Suddenly, he said, "I had a dream last night."

Dave arched an eyebrow. "Okay? So?"

Alex glared. "So, it was weird. I saw this girl, really pretty, and she was dancing away from me. I ran after her but I couldn't quite catch her, then some really pale guy knocked her away into the shadows, and I couldn't get her back." He shuddered slightly in the cold November breeze. At least it wasn't raining, for once. "It was like this… doom feeling, I don't know."

Dave gazed at him levelly, then laughed, his bark sharp against the still air that hummed faintly with the throbbing stereo from the house. "Oh yeah, you're the fortune teller," he mocked. "Leave that to the little bloodsucker, ok? Dreams lie. Any girl you want won't run away, ok?"

Alex turned his face away from Dave. He couldn't shake the figure of the girl from his mind. She was so fair she seemed to have glowed in the darkness of his dream. So had the man, but his was harsh, while hers was soft. He had felt a feeling deep inside him, different from what he saw when he looked at Katie, more potent…

He looked back at his friends. "Yeah, a lie," he said finally. "Let's go before it starts to rain."


	6. Act I Scene V

It's here

**It's here. As the curtain falls on Act I of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, they fall in love. And when Romeo is a werewolf and Juliet a vampire, things can only go downhill from here…**

**How does a dog fall for a leech? The leech **_**was**_** human once…**

**Not that it's much comfort.**

**Up with the curtain. Actors, take your places. This is gonna be good.**

Enter ALICE CULLEN and JASPER HALE, putting the finishing touches on Ellie's sweet 16 birthday bash…

"Come on, Jas, that stereo won't move itself!" Alice commanded from her perch on the banister. Jasper glared. "Why aren't you moving it, then?" he demanded. She smiled angelically at him. "Because I am overseeing the layout, master planner that I am, and watching for the guests. Who are less than a minute from the door. Move. The. Stereo."

Jasper groaned, but budged it 2 feet to the right. "Happy?" he asked her. She beamed at him, then dashed over to take his hand. "Let's go upstairs before the people show up," she said quietly. "I know you don't want to deal with it."

He smiled at her, then they both disappeared as Edward and Bella entered. Edward was dressed as a Civil War soldier (advice courtesy of Jasper) and Bella wore a housewife outfit circa 1860. Behind them, Rosalie and Emmett chose the music, Rose stunning as always in a form-fitting witch's dress and Emmett dressed, ironically enough, as a werewolf.

"Where's Ellie?" asked Bella quietly. Edward leaned in and murmured in her ear, "Sulking, but she's getting dressed and planning on making a grand entrance."

Bella smiled grimly and held her breath as the door opened and guests poured into the dark blue cavern that was the nightclub Alice had designed.

Edward greeted all of the guests, even Mike Newton's daughter, who was instantly deemed a 'slut' in Rosalie's mind. The room filled with people, the lights so dark it was hard to tell where the vampires had mingled in. All that was missing was the lady of honor.

It was as the door at the top of the stairs opened that Alex, Dave, and Quentin all snuck in. Dave inhaled sharply. "Damn," he muttered. "So many hot babes!" Quentin nodded vigorously, but Alex's eyes were on Katie, dressed as a butterfly. She was so beautiful… his heart ached. But her eyes weren't on him, or any other guy. They were where everyone else's were, on the figure slowly descending the stairway.

Ellie smiled nervously behind the dark blue mask dotted with silver stones. The middle-length blue dress she was wearing was working – no one could take their eyes off her. Just how she had wanted her party to go. Underneath the vampire exterior, she was still a girl. Except, she noticed, three guys had their backs turned to her. She sniffed in annoyance, but regretted it was she smelled wolf. Damn. Bella did mention she had invited wolves, but it was so crowded and hot in there the stench had flowed all over the room and she could not tell where it came from. Ignoring the boys, she smiled at her guests and floated down the staircase. This was a perfect 40th sweet 16.

Alex wrinkled his nose in the middle of staring at Katie. The whole room smelled like vampire, but the short one had managed it so you couldn't tell them apart by their skin – the eerie blue lights made everyone the same. Dave and Quentin were nudging each other and pointing at pretty girls, so Alex, feeling lonely, finally turned to look at the stairway.

Ellie couldn't help but feel irked by the way those boys were treating her, especially the one staring at that little (insert swear of choice here) Newton girl. Feeling in the mood to treat him to a poisoned golden glare, she swiveled her head so her eyes met hers.

At the same instant, both their worlds froze.

Alex's breath caught in his throat. The girl was not dressed skimpily, but she still looked stunning. Her blue dress flowed over a flawless body, and dirty blonde hair cascaded down the dark fabric. Her features were mostly hidden by an ornamental blue mask, but he could make out amber eyes gazing at him. She was dressed as the night, and he had never seen anything more lovely. The world shifted sharply on an angle as he drowned himself in her stare.

Katie wasn't beauty. This girl was. She was perfection. He needed to make her happy, this perfect creature, needed to do something for her, anything…

With a sickening jolt, he realized he had just imprinted.

Ellie paused on the bottom step. The boy was handsome, even by her standards (living with vampires made it hard to appreciate human beauty). His black hair flopped slightly over his dark eyes and angular nose. He was tall and well muscled underneath his soldier's uniform, his helmet tucked under his arm. If she had had a heart, it would have been pounding loud enough for all the world to hear.

Shaking herself slightly, she continued into the crowd, but she couldn't stop feeling the intensity of his gaze.

Alex grabbed Dave's arm. "Who is _she_?" he asked, shell-shocked. Dave looked up, but the beautiful girl had already disappeared into the crowd. "Who, Alex?" he asked, looking at him. Alex shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "I gotta find her," he muttered, and took off into the pulsating throng of dancing bodies.

Edward watched Ellie socialize with the Forks teens. He was impressed – he could not have pulled that off when he was here. He smiled slightly at Bella, who, he could tell, had the same idea. Even with her aging illusions going, she still looked stunning to him.

As he bent to kiss her, Jasper rocketed into the room. "I smell dog," he growled under his breath. He glared at Edward. "Those three boys. I fought two of them in the alley, and the other is Black's son. Let me throw them out."

_Black's_ son? He hadn't expected that. But he couldn't let Jasper hurt them. "Bella invited them as a peace offering. You heard Chief Roberts today. Breaking out of jail is a nuisance, and we'd have to move again. Keep it cool, Jasper, let Ellie enjoy her party."

Jasper glowered at Alex Black, and muttered something that sounded like, "eventually." He then disappeared as fast as he had come.

Ellie kept her smile plastered to her face as she hunted for a free space to think. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder every few seconds to try and find the boy who had caught her eye. Finally, she ducked behind Emmett's massive stereo system, where the noise was lower as the music pumped away from her.

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she squeezed her eyes shut, the breath she did not need coming in short gasps, her confusion and fear masking how much the scent of werewolf got to her.

Alex fought his way through the crowd, knowing Dave and Quentin were looking at him like he was crazy. He had seen her streaking through impressively fast for wearing a dress and head towards the speakers.

He screwed up his face as the music got louder and louder. With the writhing, dancing crowd sweating and constantly moving, the smell of vampire had penetrated every part of the room, messing with his senses even more.

He looked around quickly, hands clamped over his ears. He couldn't find her – he felt sick at the thought of never seeing her again…

And then he saw a small, fair figure hunched behind the towering black stereo. He picked up his pace, wanting, needing to get to her. He was so close.

He bent down to be level to her face. She was so tiny next to his big werewolf hands. Everything seemed to grow farther away as she raised her head, and then disappeared as her amber eyes met his black ones. Faintly in the background, he noted ironically, We The King's "Check Yes Juliet" played.

Ellie gasped when she realized how close he was. "Uhm…" she said shakily. "Hi."

Alex stared. "Hi."

They gazed at each other for a bit, then Alex said in a rush. "Look, I know we just met, but you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my whole life, and I – wow, this is awkward – can I just kiss you and not get slapped?"

He looked so eager and embarrassed that Ellie had to laugh. "You're such an idiot," she chided. "I think you're pretty cute, and you seem normal. And a kiss sounds like it might be nice." Her eyes widened as soon as she said the words. She was a vampire – she could hurt him. Hurt him so, so badly. She didn't want that. But she couldn't turn him away. Something in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let her move away.

She rose, slightly stiffly, onto her knees so their faces were at the same height. Alex put one warm palm against the back of her neck, and drew her lips to his.

Ellie stifled a gasp as soon as her icy lips met his warm ones. At this close proximity, she could smell his blood over all the other smells. It was a beautiful, heady combination of scents, reminding Ellie vaguely of smoky firewood, burning flowers and the sea, with something vaguely sour stirring beneath it. It was all she could do to pull back when she did. She couldn't hurt him.

Alex dropped his hand as soon as he felt her cold lips pulling away. What had he done wrong? He felt his face burning with embarrassment as she ducked her head.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'll just go…"

"No!" Ellie's head shot up to look at the boy. He looked confused and awkward. She wanted to kiss him again, just to make him look happy. "I'm sorry. It's just that… that's the first time I've ever been kissed, and I'm…"

"Ellie!"

She whipped her head around looking for who called. Of course. It was Alice, always worried because the wolves being invited had messed up her vision.

The boy was staring at her. "Ellie?" he asked incredulously.

"ELLIE!"

"I have to go," she whispered, and brushed her lips as lightly as she possibly could against his. She was careful to keep under control as she took one more look at his eyes for the road.

In a flash, she was gone.

Alex's hands shook. Ellie. No wonder everyone had been staring at her. She had been Ellie the birthday girl, Ellie the host… Ellie _Cullen_.

He had imprinted on a vampire.

He swiveled around and fought his way back through the crowd. He needed Dave and Quentin's help. Now.

Ellie caught up to Alice in no time. "Yeah?" she said happily, as though nothing was wrong. Alice beamed at her, caught up in the success of the party. "Bella's looking for you, they're going to cut the cake and you need to be there to fake it."

Ellie made a face. She hated faking eating, but with the anorexia paranoia everywhere she needed to do it a lot.

As she followed Alice towards the dining room, she looked over her shoulder at the dance floor. The boy was standing there, talking to his friends and glancing at her. Closing her eyes to remember his scent, she suddenly recalled something much more disturbing. There had been a sort of foul underscent to the delicious one she had smelled. Now that he was gone, she recognized it with a sickening jolt of despair.

It was the scent of wolf. She had just kissed a werewolf. Oh, no, it was worse than that. She had just _fallen in love_ with a werewolf.

She had to know his name. She needed to know. Tugging on Alice's sleeve, she jerked her head and spat with as much false annoyance as she could manage, "Who are the wolves?"

Alice turned, looking at her with suspicion tinting her gaze. "They're Quentin Ateara," she pointed at the lean skinny one, "Dave Uley," the wider, more muscled one, "and Alex Black." The boy she had kissed.

She nodded, her mind churning furiously. If he had kissed her, then that would mean he didn't know she was a vampire when it happened. Which meant he might have imprinted. That thought made her stomach squirm happily.

Ellie was smiling the whole way into the dining room, where a group of guests was waiting. She kept smiling until she saw Bella, and remembered.

The Volturi wanted her.

Alex finished explaining to Dave and Quentin, who were looking at him with something close to horror. "You _imprinted_ on a _vampire!?_" Dave hissed through clenched teeth. Alex nodded sheepishly. "It could be possible," Quentin mused. "Vampires were humans once."

Alex nodded, and ran a hand through his hair. "I have to see her again," he said desperately. Dave glanced at Quentin, who nodded and said, "Don't worry, man. We'll help you with this. We're here for you."

Alex smiled grimly at his friends. Life had just gotten a lot more complicated.

**-pounds self in face- I think I killed the description of imprinting. GAH!**

**But Act One concludes with Ellie confused about what to do next and Quentin, Alex and Dave scheming to reunite the boy with his vampiress love.**

**What will happen now? How are two lovers to meet in a home where the residents never sleep?**

**This probably won't end well…**

**The actors are breaking now. Act Two will begin soon. Take your seats, ladies and gentlemen, before the curtain rises again….**


	7. Act II Scenes I and II

**WOW that was a long hiatus. But I return to raise the curtain on Act II of No Simple Thing.**

**If you recall, we left with two very confused teenagers (well, one teenager and one eternal teenager) who have just fallen in love with someone they are not allowed to be with. As you can imagine, Edward and Jacob will not take this well **_**at all**_**…**

**For the record, this will combine Scene I and Scene II, since Scene I is so short it's almost negligible. **

**Take your places, actors. Return to your seats, audience! Act II is beginning…**

Act II, Scene I

Enter ALEX BLACK, QUENTIN ATEARA, and DAVE ULEY, three young werewolves who can't figure out what to do next…

"What the hell," Dave muttered under his breath. "This is just great. A _vampire_? Really, Alex, could this get any more screwed up?" Quentin rolled his eyes. "Dave, stop being a drama queen," he ordered, but looked at Alex sympathetically. "I don't know what we're gonna do, man. Edward's gonna dismember you as soon as he finds out. I don't even wanna think about the hissy fit your mom's gonna throw."

Alex nodded miserably. They had left the party and were walking down the Cullens' long driveway. Every few seconds, Alex would glance over his shoulder in a desperate hope of seeing Ellie.

"I wish she wasn't a vampire," he said sadly. "I wish we could just be together." Alex felt Quentin's hand on his shoulder and heard a muffled, "I'm sorry, dude." He looked over his shoulder back at the last place he had seen her, and froze. Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or was a pale figure standing on the Cullen porch?

He squinted. No, his senses didn't lie. As if in confirmation, the figure raised a pale hand and waved.

Alex wheeled around while his friends yelled his name, and sprinted full tilt back towards the house.

Enter ELLIE CULLEN, her mind still on that Black boy…

Ellie had been gagging down birthday cake and trying very hard not to think of Alex around Edward. She had plastered a brilliant smile to her face – if her family thought it seemed forced, they would assume it was from the food.

But she couldn't get him out of her head. She recalled his face in small details – the warm, melted-dark-chocolate brown of his eyes, the tawny redness of his skin, the way his mouth had quirked at the corner when he smiled at her. What _was_ this? How could she be drawn into this bizarre love so quickly? She remembered a faint human memory of freshman English class, of reading _Romeo and Juliet_. There, too, the main characters had fallen into a deep love that could never be in an instant. _And how did they end up?_ she thought darkly, pushing her chair back from the table.

She needed to see him before he went back to La Push and was out of her reach.

Ellie leaned over and tugged on Alice's sleeve. "I need an oxygen break," she whispered, knowing the tiny vampire would hear her. Alice gave an imperceptible nod, and Ellie rose from the table with a smile. Weaving through well-wishers, she burst through the front door and ran to the steps.

Ellie could see three large figures walking down the driveway. One looked back, and she waved in earnest. _Could he see her?_ She hoped so.

Her hope was rewarded as the one boy turned barreled towards her. She gestured up, towards the roof of the Cullen residence, where hopefully she could remain out of earshot of her family. With a smile and a warm glow in her heart, she darted inside to come up with a good excuse.

Act II, Scene II

Enter ALEX BLACK, who is pretty much dying to see Ellie at this point…

Alex saw her gesturing towards the roof before she slipped inside, presumably to talk to her family and get them sufficiently reassured. Behind him, he heard Dave and Quentin yelling at him to come back. He ignored them. His mind was focused on one thing and one thing alone: Ellie.

He took a sharp left into the woods, undergrowth snapping as he ran towards a tree whose branches extended towards the Cullen home. His plan wasn't complicated- use werewolf strength to climb tree, use werewolf strength to jump from tree to roof and hope the other vampires weren't paying attention.

Needless to say, he wasn't brimming with confidence, but it was the fact that he was going to see the suddenly all-important object of his affection that made him decide to go through with it.

With a grunt, he hurled himself at the tree trunk and began to climb. "I must be nuts," he muttered. "Completely nuts. Imprinting on a vampire, Mom will have a conniption fit…"

But then he saw a flash of white on the now all-too-far roof.

Enter ELLIE CULLEN, said object of Alex's affections…

She didn't move or call out to him. Apparently, she preferred subtly to instant gratification. The same couldn't be said for him.

"So freakin' fabulous. The most beautiful girl I've ever met, the girl I'm ninety percent sure I'm in love with, a vampire," he continued, muttering as he climbed. "It's like a screwed up version of Romeo and Juliet, except I don't think Juliet's dad could poison Romeo with a bite…"

He heard a noise. Looking up, Ellie had begun to talk to herself.

"C'mon, Alex, we don't have much time. This is insane! Insanity! I could bite you or something… crap. I don't know what to do. This feels… right, I think? Ugh!" Ellie was very distracted by the night sky and had forgotten he was there. This was clarified as she continued into her next mini-ramble.

"This is ridiculous. If you love me, and I love you… wolves can live forever if they want, right? So we could leave, go north. If you were with me Alice couldn't track us. It could be the two of us. Forget all the stupid wolf-vampire rivals crap. I will if you will."

"I will." Ellie jumped. She hadn't been paying much attention to Alex's progress, but it was obvious now that he had heard all she said, since he had landed almost silently on the tiles of the roof. She stared down at the glittering silver rhinestones on her dress.

"You can't," she said sadly, not looking at him. "I can't let you give up your family, your friends…" She couldn't meet his eyes. She knew if she did, she would be strangely fascinated by them (as she had been before) and lose her resolve.

Alex felt his heart twinge as he saw her sadness. "They don't matter," he whispered huskily. He wrapped his warm arms around her cold body. "Ellie, I imprinted on you. You're meant to be with me, I know it."

"They'll kill you," she whispered from her place against his strong body. "I don't want you to die. I… do you know the story of my… of Bella and Edward?" Alex tightened his grip for a second, then nodded against her gold hair. "Well," she continued, "Bella smelled irresistible to Edward, right? That's what drew them together. That's how you smell to me…"

He looked down at her face, and smiled as her little nose crinkled. "Except the dog smell is helping to offset it a bit," she grumbled. "But I don't want you to die. If they see you, you're dead. I couldn't live with it, Alex."

Alex shrugged, appearing nonchalant even as his heart sang when she said his name. "If it helps, you're the first vampire that ever smelled not 100% repulsive to me." He looked into her perfect face, still half obscured by the deep blue mask. He pulled it off with one easy motion so he could see all of her snow white features. She blinked amber eyes at him. "And if I can't be with you, I'll die anyway. They can come and kill me," he whispered before kissing her gently.

It was an odd sensation, Ellie thought, having the lips of someone who burned like a flame against her icy skin. But he was such a fast healer, she couldn't hurt him. Ellie felt no regrets about wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.

When Alex drew back for air, she snuggled back into his chest. "Swear you love me," she murmured. "Please." She listened quietly to the sound of his heart beating inside his chest. He was so alive. She hadn't been so alive in 40 long years.

Alex smiled. "I swear by…" he looked around, then up at the night sky for inspiration, "the moon that I will love you forev-"

"No!" She gasped. He looked confused, so she explained. "Not the moon. It grows then fades. I don't want you to fade." Alex smirked at Ellie's sudden panic. So she wanted him forever, like he wanted her – unchanging and constant. "All right, what do you want me to swear by?" he asked.

"I don't care, just promise to love me as long as we exist," she whispered, eyes glittering with what would be tears. She had a sudden wish to be human so she could cry. Tears hadn't fallen from her face since the day she was found by the Cullens.

"I promise," he vowed. "Your turn." She smiled. "I swear," she said softly, "that for the rest of my existence I will love you and you alone."

He bent to kiss her again, but a yell from below made him freeze. "Ellie!" The vampire in his arms stiffened. "That's Alice," she murmured sadly. She started to draw back, then gasped. She had just remembered. Alec.

"Alex?" she asked quietly. He looked at her in confusion, noting the worry in her voice. "Something happened earlier today, and…" "ELLIE!"

She finished quickly, "And I'll tell you later gotta go bye!" She planted a lingering kiss on his cheek, and was gone.

Alex stared at the empty circle his arms made, feeling an almost irresistible pull to follow her. But he knew that would be death, and he couldn't imagine any part of existence or afterlife without Ellie now. Instead, he took a running jump into the tree and climbed down.

Dave and Quentin were gone, presumably back to La Push to wait for him. He was already walking away when he heard, "Alex!" That voice…

He turned. There she was, hanging out of her second floor window. "I have an idea, we can be together forever, just wait for my message in town at nine tomorrow!" she called. He nodded and was about to speak when her head whipped around. Apparently Alice was calling her again. "Bye Alex," she said. "I love you!" And she was gone again.

Taking her last 3 words for the road, Alex began to jog, then sprint into the woods. A smile split across his face, even when anticipating his parents' reactions to his imprint. He had an idea too, of who could help he and Ellie be together for the rest of their eternity.

**Tada! The infamous balcony scene reinvented for this version of Romeo and Juliet. What will Ellie tell Alex about Alec? How can such a lovely little romance go so horribly wrong? Read and find out in the next act of No Simple Thing, Twilight's little Shakespearean tragedy. **


	8. Act II Scene III

**Welcome back to No Simple Thing. Ellie and Alex are in love, except for a few small problems. 1. Jasper and the others hate the wolves. 2. Jake, Leah and the others hate the vampires. And 3. Alec wants to take Ellie to the Volturi forever. Problems is an understatement.**

**As the curtain rises on Act III, an old character comes to the stage. Charlie Swan, Bella's father, is as sick of the fighting as Chief Roberts, and will do anything to help…**

**And so we continue into the play. Enjoy.**

Act II, Scene III

Enter CHARLIE SWAN, talking on the phone to old friend Billy Black…

"Yeah, I dunno either, Billy," the old man said as he washed the dishes that had accumulated in his sink. "You'd think that now that they're older, they'd be past all this. I can't imagine what keeps setting 'em off."

He paused, then added, "Not to mention Leah isn't letting Bella be much of an emissary. That girl is something else. Jake must have the patience of a saint!" He laughed at something Billy said, then resumed his washing.

He was happy Bella was back. After traveling for all those years with Edward on business, then coming back with a baby girl in tow! Well, not a baby. Ellie was 16 now. Where had the years gone? It seemed like only the other day Bella was standing in his living room, newly arrived from Phoenix. She looked so different now, but then, the Cullens had to have some impact on her and her style.

He looked up from scrubbing a particularly stubborn piece of food when the doorbell rang. "Hang on, Billy, someone's at the door." Charlie, now well into his late 70's, walked slowly over to the front door of the house he had lived in for over 40 years.

Enter ALEX BLACK, here for advice on love and a plan of action from Charlie…

To his surprise, it was Alex at the door. Charlie looked him up and down. He was wearing what looked like a very torn up Army uniform, with dirt and leaves stuck into his floppy black hair. "Er, Billy?" he said slowly. "I gotta go, but I'll call you back later. Bye." Charlie hung up, then turned to Alex with a smile. "Alex, my boy," he said cheerfully. "Bit early for visiting, eh? Where's your dad?" He looked around Alex's bulk for Jake and (though he hoped not) Leah.

"I'm on my own today, Charlie," Alex said quietly. Charlie gave him an analytical stare. "You okay? You look like you haven't been home at all," he said disapprovingly. Alex smiled sheepishly. "Were you with that Katie girl?" he asked, still suspicious. Charlie was not a fan of Katie Newton. She had been caught one too many times getting into trouble with boys for a nice kid like Alex to be hung up on her.

Alex looked insulted. "No! Katie's just an old crush now, not her," he insisted. "Not her? Then who?" Charlie said, noticing Alex's slip of tongue. When Alex blushed, Charlie smirked. So it was a girl. But who?

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…" he said slowly, then very fast, "it's your granddaughter, to tell the truth."

Charlie blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then said, "Edward… will not be happy." The two of them laughed, and Alex grinned. "No, I didn't think he would be," he said. Charlie had a happy vision of Edward freaking out before Alex added, "But this could fix things."

Charlie narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"Think about it!" Alex said enthusiastically. "Edward and Dad can't kill each other if Ellie and I are together. If we're married there has to be-"

"Married!?" Charlie yelped. The M-word! He and Renee's fatal mistake! "What do you mean, married!? She's 16!" "Which," Alex interceded, "is legal age to be married without parental consent." Charlie ground his teeth. He couldn't argue with that, not with being a retired police chief. He could still argue one point, though. "But you're so young!"

"Charlie," Alex said firmly. "I love her, and we can get some peace between Dad and the Cullens. Isn't this what you want?" Alex crossed his arms, and Charlie was reminded irresistibly of Jake defending his love for Bella in Edward's face in that very yard.

Charlie spluttered a bit. "But… you were all 'in love' with Katie Newton a week ago! If your affections are so fickle, why should I let you even touch my grandbaby!?" he bellowed. "Because it's different!" Alex defended himself. "You're 16, you have no idea what love is!" Charlie yelled. "Look, Charlie," Alex snapped. "I came to you for help for three reasons. One, you're a reasonable man and can see the advantages of me and Ellie doing this. Two, you love us both, and this is what would make us both happy. And three, you're a registered justice of the peace and won't rat us out to Edward." Smirking slightly, he added, "Can't you imagine the look on his face when he finds out?"

Alex knew he had Charlie when his face grew contemplative on the last sentence. Charlie could not deny that foiling the seemingly omniscient Edward would make him happy. After all, he owed Mr. Cullen one for taking his Bella away for so many years.

He weighed his options. Get back at Edward and make Ellie happy, or try to protect her like he tried to protect Bella. Because that second option worked out to well. He heaved a sigh. "If you break her heart, kid, I'll break you," he muttered, but nodded once and turned on the TV. "Any good games on?"

**I love Charlie. Really, I do. Short but important ;). Yayness!**


	9. Act II Scene IV

**And on it goes. WhooT.**

Act II, Scene IV

Enter DAVE ULEY and QUENTIN ATEARA, who are looking for their MIA best friend…

"Okay, where the _hell_ is he?!" Dave grumbled, kicking at a rock on the sidewalk. "Jake said he never came home last night," Quentin said. Thinking for a bit, he added nervously, "You don't think that blond one got him last night, do you?"

Dave shook his head disgustedly. "Nah, he'd be touting his head on a pike. They've been looking for a fight ever since they came back." Quentin shrugged. "He wants a fight with us, I know, but that badly?"

Dave rolled his eyes. "That crazy blond guy – Jasper – he's the one who was in the Southern wars. He likes a fight, and as soon as he hears about Alex and the girl he'll come down to La Push with the whole leechy gang."

"Speaking of Alex and Ellie," Quentin said, "here comes Romeo himself."

Enter ALEX BLACK, walking with a huge smile despite his obvious need of a good night's sleep…

"Hey guys," he said, but was immediately accosted by Dave.

"Do you know how long we've been looking for you!?" he spat. "Jeez, man, your mom nearly went wolf on us when we came back without you!"

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry I ran off. I just… I guess I needed to talk to her. Ellie." As he said her name, it was like the sun had hit his face after a long, cold winter.

"Ah, jeez," Dave grumbled. Quentin elbowed him. "Knock it off man," he insisted. "Oh, yeah, because you're one of _them_. The imprinted," Dave retorted. "You lovey-dovey types get on my nerves. It was bad enough when Quentin imprinted, but your little romance is gonna get us all killed!"

Alex glared. "She's _mine_. I'll fight for her, if that's what it takes," he growled.

"Good, because at this rate you'll need to," said a voice from behind him.

Enter ALICE CULLEN, who's in on this whole deal…

The prophetic vampire stood, hands on hips, giving the three werewolves an appraising look. "Oh look, it's the midgy bloodsucker," Dave said scathingly.

Alice narrowed her eyes. "Don't. Push. Me. Dog," she threatened. "I don't want to talk to _you_, I hope." Turning to Alex, she asked, "Are you Alex Black?"

"Yes. Why?" Alex asked, unsure of the reaction he could expect from a Cullen. "I'm here from Ellie. Can I talk to you… in _private?_" she asked, looking at Dave and Quentin significantly.

Alex nodded, and glared at Dave when a growl rumbled in his throat. He followed Alice down the road and around the corner, wary all the while.

When they were a good distance away from his friends, Alice turned to face him. "I know," she said, "and I won't tell. I love Ellie too much." Alex smiled at the sound of her name.

Alice looked beyond him. "Your friends are rude," she informed him. "I know," he said with a grin. "But how is Ellie? No one knows but you, right?"

"Slow down, Black," she commanded. "It's all good. El misses you… though I would _not_ miss the smell." She wrinkled her pert nose. Alex glared. "What did she say?" he demanded.

Alice glared right back. "Look, I'm going to be blunt with you, wolfboy. I don't like this at all. It could go very bad for all of us. Then there's the Volturi problem…" "Problem?" Alex cut in. The vampire sighed. "Yes. The Volturi. The ruling family, essentially."

"What do they have to do with anything?" he asked. Alice answered, "One of them – Alec, weirdly enough – was sent to take her as a mate because he thinks we're too strong."

Alex snarled. "_WHAT!?_" He clenched his suddenly trembling fists, holding in his fury as well as he could. "Don't go dog on me here," Alice cautioned. Shutting his eyes and breathing deeply, Alex gradually reduced his body tremors until he was able to think rationally. "So what do we do?" he asked eventually.

"We get you together," Alice told him. When he looked at her in surprise, she elaborated, "If you're together, then the wolves have to help you. We have to help Ellie. Together, we might – _might_ – stand a chance. And the fighting will end."

"She has to come with me. She can't go with him…" Alex murmured. Alice nodded as he continued, "Send her over to Charlie's this afternoon, and he said he'll marry us."

Alice arched one perfect eyebrow. "Marry?... hmm. They can't separate you then. A good plan, Alex, very good," she said approvingly. "All right, I'll have her come. But I have to warn you, don't go near Edward. Ellie and I know how to suppress our thoughts, but you wolves…" she shook her head in what seemed like disgust.

"What about your visions?" Alex asked anxiously. "Not a problem," she replied. "I can't see wolves, so you won't show up in her future. I just won't think of it." Alex nodded, relieved. If Ellie was safe, he was happy.

"By the way, dog," Alice added, "if you break her heart, I will kill you in the most violent way I know possible." She actually looked terrifying in that statement.

Alex smiled wryly. "Charlie beat you to the death threats, Alice," he told her. She grimaced. "Damn. Oh well. Well, I better be going, I have to hunt." Indeed, her eyes were a dark ebony against her bone-white face.

Alex nodded, and waved as she turned and tripped away down the road. Suddenly, he called, "Alice! Wait!" She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Tell Ellie… tell Ellie that I love her," he said softly. Though it was quiet, he knew she had heard his words because she smiled and nodded.

He stood on the corner, watching her go. He stood there until she was out of sight, but his mind was full of visions of Ellie. Her pale, thin body tucked into his arms as she stared at him on the Cullen's roof. The feel of her ice lips on his own. That first sight of her, on the stairs, their eyes locked over the heads of people who were suddenly insignificant.

Behind him, Dave and Quentin walked up. "What did she want?" asked Quentin. "Jus tto talk," Alex said vaguely. He could still only think of Ellie.

**Yayaya. Done. Alice, of course, is in on it. CONTEST: All of the characters on the main page represent a character from Romeo and Juliet. Whoever can guess all of them gets a side role as a witness to Ellie and Alex's wedding. :D**

**Answer by the end of Act II and win! Good luck!**


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